


OCD // reddie au

by tiedyeocean



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier Are Best Friends, Bisexual Eddie Kaspbrak, Bisexual Stanley Uris, Eddie has OCD, Fluff and Angst, Gay Disaster Richie Tozier, Gay Richie Tozier, Happy Ending, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Movie: IT (2017), New Kid Eddie Kaspbrak, Reddie, Reddie Fluff, Richie Tozier & Stanley Uris Are Best Friends, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Teenage Losers Club (IT), they are 13-14
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:27:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22919200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiedyeocean/pseuds/tiedyeocean
Summary: "𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘧𝘪𝘹𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘴?""𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘧𝘪𝘹𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴?"orrichie meets a boy with OCD in his history class
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 10
Kudos: 94





	1. fourteen days

_third_  
  
  
  
  
  


fourteen days. it had been exactly fourteen school days since richie first noticed the new kid in his history class. fourteen days since he'd watch him come in unannounced with his feathery hair casted away from his face and his head down. fourteen days since his teacher sat him two seats diagonal from richie so he had the perfect view of the side of the new kids' face. 

and in those fourteen days, richie learned a lot. he learned that every second the new kid got,(who he learned was named eddie also fourteen days ago) he adjusted everything on his desk. three times in a row. if he shifted one pencil he did it three times. if it tapped his finger he did each one individually three times. if he shook his leg, it was in intervals of three.

he picked up on these little tiffs almost immediately and every time they happened he would begin thinking of his friend stan and how the overly organized boy also had his own little tics he did. 

stanley would every so often fix the books on richie's bookshelf or fold the laundry his mom set aside in a basket that throughout the week, he would just rummage through and pull clothes out of. stanley like neat and orderly things but richie never saw stan to this extent.

richie occasionally thought about after class just getting up and going over to talk to eddie or when there was a partner assignment, asking him if he wanted to partner up, but he had also learned from other people's lastest mistakes that didn't go over well. 

anytime anyone would get up and try to introduce themselves and invite him into their group, the smaller boy would reject them in the nicest way possible then turn the other cheek, normally tapping each one of his fingers three times against his leg. 

richie wondered if maybe it was a nervousness thing like how when richie felt flustered enough his hand would automatically - without him telling it to - reach up to his face and adjust his glasses. 

most of the time they were placed perfectly on his crooked nose but it just felt safer to reach up and fix them. richie knew he wouldn't die if eddie were to reject him, but he knew it wouldn't feel good either. 

richie had his fair share of knowledge about rejection and the hateful words that were thrown his way. sometimes he figured he asked for it with glasses too big for his face and a style that only the people with an alternative style would appreciate but, he felt that if he were to get instantly turned down by the boy who always wore a polo shirt and a fanny pack to match, his heart might just implode on itself and he didn't know why. 

richie also knew about the rumors that got spread about him every second of every day in their little town of derry. ninth grade was hard enough with puberty, hormones, and just making it through high school, so to go up to someone new and introduce himself just to be shot down because _"richie tozier sucks flamer cock"_ was strung around every stall in the school bathroom, wasn't all that appealing. 

the downside to richie's personality was he liked a challenge. he liked to see how far he could get with henry bowers before his already crooked teeth just got a little more jagged and he liked to see what kind of sick and twisted jokes he could pull out onto his friends before the infamous _"beep beep richie"_ stopped him in his tracks. 

so to conclude, he knew a head-on " _hello"_ or a partner invitation wouldn't work. it crossed his brain to maybe corner him out in the hallway but was initially afraid to scare the smaller boy away. that was until one day someone accidentally stepped on his clean white shoe. when it happened, richie would have thought a firecracker went off in his little body. 

richie never saw anybody bite another person's head off because of a little scuff mark on a shoe but it made a lot more sense but then none at all as he continued to study him in that once boring history class. 

it also confused him how he could be so nice to reject someone then turn around all in the same breath to tell the kid behind him he was breathing too loud and end it with a, _"do you know how many germs are in the human mouth? keep yours to yourself."_

it made richies' chest warm up with a sort of pride every time he watched as eddie would hold his own, apparently his size not fazing him as he would spew out whatever came to mind. 

richie liked that so much about eddie because he was the same way. though most of what came out of his own mouth was nothing useful, it still had richie feeling like they were connected through the portal of word vomit. 

he also took note that whatever eddie had to say, he said it without regret or shame. while richie couldn't really relate to this, he still admired eddie for being so confident. richie didn't have that. normally if he said something he knows he shouldn't have said, he'd feel bad about for a day or two afterward till someone told him it was fine. 

he wanted desperately to talk about eddie and express his admiration for him but his friends haven't said anything about a new kid so he hasn't brought it up either. 

part of him was worried that if he brought up a random boy in his history class that no one else has seen or heard of, his friends would start to wonder just how true the catchy, derogatory phrases were that tattooed the bathroom walls. and that was the last thing he wanted.

though not really caring what most outsiders thought, richie did often care what his friends thought about him which meant when it came to his and deep dark secrets, the only person that knew about them was the man on the moon. 

he often saw the _"richie tozier likes dick"_ line or a poorly drawn penis with his name in the middle everywhere and never really thought anything of it because most of the time there were another two or three people with the exact same signature; though richie worried that they might start to think the graffitied stalls were true and wouldn't want to be his friend anymore. 

the rational part of richie knew that it was just the anxiety talking but the other part still had the thought creep up in the back of his head when he was least expecting it.

it took him a while to understand why the thought would bug him so much when he was with his friends and a boy would walk by and he instantly got self-conscious about the fact that he might've looked too long or the way his cheeks would burn if stan or bill would unabashedly get undressed in front of him because they never thought anything of it. 

they would if he said something. 

so instead, he kept his thoughts private and only active in the solitude of mr. bakers' history class. sometimes richie swore that he would see eddie peek over his shoulder at him when he did something especially loud or annoying but it was never for more than a few seconds at a time. 

richie also wandered if eddie counted those seconds too. richie wasn't dumb, by far, he picked up on things fairly quickly with both academics and people so when richie started tapping the end of his eraser on his desk in erratic beats, he could see the smaller boy visibly tense, turn his head over his shoulder for three seconds then back to whatever he was working on but not before shaking his leg or tapping his foot three times. 

so, that's what richie would do. make erratic beats with the back of his pencil till he saw eddie's head move and shoulders tense then he would do a rhythmic beat of three eraser bops off the desk. when he did this he saw eddie's shoulders visible relax he wouldn't end up doing his own trio of tics.

this made richie smile. it wasn't much, but it was a start, and it was a start he was willing to leap for, even if it took trial and errors of three.   
  


_it's short, i know. part two is coming out tomorrow. happy ianowt day. much love._


	2. rhythmic tics

_third_

richie thought about how maybe it was a little fruity (as some kids would call it) to keep thinking about a boy he'd never even spoken a word to, but he couldn't help it. he almost found it insulting when he thought about other people not appreciating eddie for the interesting little character he was.

he began to think of those lines _"richie toziers' fruitier than fruity pebbles"_ written in perfect penmanship might just be true if the wrong person caught him doing a whole analysis on the new kid in class. with being the new kid, it amazed richie how much good attention eddie got.

ever since the day he freaked out on josh somers for stepping on his shoe, everyone in the hallways seems to steer clear of his pristine white converse and with that, of him in general and richie considered that good attention.

richie often drew attention to himself purposely then not at all. he did it to amuse his friends but it just accidentally caught the attention of everyone else around him. he could've cared less if everyone else watched him because he really only wanted the eyes of his friends and now the eyes of one eddie kaspbrak.

this bugged richie to his core because never once has he cared about anything besides what his friends thought of him and maybe some minor setbacks in his life. and now here he was, ignoring taco tuesday, listening to bev chow down loudly in his ear on a crunchy corn shell because he had _dilemmas_ on his mind.

it made richie's stomach do somersaults.

"hey, what do you guys know about rhythmic tics?" richie asked suddenly at his for once _quieter_ lunch table. richie just had this thing about him, whether he meant to or not but every time he opened his mouth, it's like a blow horn came with it and made the whole conversation ten times louder and more dramatic.

this, -though he interrupted their conversations- caused all the losers to stop talking as richie had actually asked a valuable question.

"its normally associated with mental illnesses. why?" stan answered first looking up from his health book, the movements of his pencil writing furiously on his paper coming to a stilling halt. "yeah rich," bev was next to speak a playful smirk landing on her gloss coated lips.

"got something you want to share with us that's rhythmically off-balanced?" richie huffed, rolling his eyes. "if you're asking permission to see my insanely long wang miss marsh, all you have to do is-"

"beep beep, richie," she quickly interjected, throwing a french fry from bill's tray at his head. richie rose his hand in defense. "hey, you started it," stan interrupted this time his voice laced with both amusement and annoyance. "if we could get back to the topic, _children_ , why did you want to know rich?"

richie then shrugged avoiding the gaze of his friends. "just curious, i guess." stan tried and failed his hardest to keep richie talking about something that actually mattered but gave up when richie made a comment about stanley taking him out to dinner if he kept touching his arm to get his attention.

stan sighed to himself, drawing his attention back to his text-book, letting both bev and richie argue, knowing one of them (most likely richie) would say something to annoy the other to the point of shutting up. richie felt better knowing that stan was actually interested in what he had to say but he also knew that the crowded lunch table was not the time or place.

stan wasn't worried about getting information out of richie and even though the boy had the attention span of a german shepherd he knew he would be able to corner him into talking when they were alone.

this, is exactly why stanley had invited himself over to the tozier residence after school.

richie didn't mind and normally neither did his parents. his dad worked till six and his mom was rarely awake in the evenings because of the long shifts she worked at the local hospital. stanley decided to humor himself and richie by agreeing to play his atari knowing that it'll butter him up enough to spill.

"ugh! fuck you uris, beginner's luck." richie swore as he threw down his controller, using the back of his hand to push up his glasses. "don't be a sore loser richie. you're the one that wanted to play," stan retorted, softly setting down the controller on richie's t.v stand.

richie rolled his eyes and stood up. "yeah yeah, well i don't want to play with a cheater," richie gave stan a harmless glare while the other stuck his tongue out.

"we can look at comic books? let's see i got batman-" stanley cut in, sitting on richie's bed. "i didn't come here to look at comic books richie and you know it," richie stopped in his tracks, his fingers twitching from the position they were in against his books.

his pulse quickened as he looked at stanley over his shoulder. _oh fuck. did he know? was i really that obvious?_ "did you need help on the math homework?" richie asked feening innocence. stanley opened his mouth then closed it again, his eyebrows furrowing. he did actually, but he wasn't here for that.

he quickly shook his head. "no, richie," stanley laughed softly. "what's got you so interested in _'rhythmic tics'?_ " stanley asked. richie breathed out a sigh of relief moving from his spot by the bookcase to sit by stanley. stan moved to the foot of richie's bed to get a better look at him while they were talking, his eyes still expectant.

richie fumbled with his hands, willing them down to stay away from his glasses.

"right, okay, so-" richie stopped himself, wanting to find the right way to word what he was about to say. he didn't come off as some kind of stalker. "did you know we got a new kid in history?" richie felt like an idiot saying this considered stan wasn't even in his history class and because his grade was lower than richie's last year, he actually got put into civics instead of history II.

stan shook his head, but his look wasn't judgmental. "you mean _your_ history class?" richie shook his head and without thinking, his hand reached up to rearrange his glasses. he fought back a frustrated groan while slapping his hand back down on his lap. "yeah, right. well, i got a new kid in history and he sits right in my line of sight,"

he stopped to glance up at stanley's reaction to him talking about another boy, but all he could see was frustration from the constant pauses in his speech. richie cleared his throat and continued, "and i've noticed that almost the whole time throughout class he'll fix something that doesn't need to be fixed - like his pencil or line of pencils should i say. and when he does it, it does it three times."

"wait," stanley began, confusion crossing his features. this made richie's heart thump. "you _can_ pay attention to something for longer than two-minute intervals?" stanley joked, giggling softly. richie's face burned a bright pink as he huffed, shoving stanley father away. "i should've known you wouldn't take it seriously,"

stanley stopped laughing and placed his hand lightly on richie's shoulder. "no, no, i'm sorry. i was just kidding. i actually do really care that you care about something. doesn't happen very often," stanley spoke light-heartedly.

richie didn't meet his eye and instead focused on a pile of dirty laundry in the corner of his room. "so what does it mean?" he asked. "well," stanley sighed, racking his brain from any information he knew off the top of his head.

"most of the time as i said earlier, tics like that have to do with mental illnesses. the most common one with symptoms as such that i can think of is anxiety or if he's always adjusting everything maybe ocd."

richie furrowed his eyebrows, moving his eyes back to stan. "ocd?" stan nodded, brushing some of the wrinkles from richie's comforter. "yeah, obsessive-compulsive disorder. it has to do with a chemical abnormality in the brain." richie sat for a second, his mind racing with a ton of different questions but the only thing that came out was, "do you have ocd?"

stan laughed, shaking his head. "no. i may be a control freak and because of that, like things neat, but i don't have ocd. people with ocd are a lot more extreme than i am." more extreme than stan? the thought made richie body shiver. maybe trying to make friends with eddie wasn't such a good idea.

"if this boy," stan started, looking at richie, "eddie," richie said. "eddie," stan continued, "does have ocd then he's probably a handful, rich." richie looked up at him quickly, though his features stayed neutral. "i'm not saying don't be friends with him, but people with ocd are known to have sudden outbursts, be germaphobes, or become clingy."

richie didn't see much wrong with that. besides being a germaphobe that basically summed richie up in nutshell. he took everything back he thought seconds earlier about eddie not being a good fit. the whole point of the losers club was because they were all a big group of misfits and knew in his very soul whether he has one or not, that eddie would be the perfect addition to their little circle.

richie shrugged shortly, a small smile slipping past his lips without realizing it. "i think he'd be worth it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am not a professional, this bases on internet knowledge


	3. operation talk to eddie

_third_

that thursday was the day richie finally decided he was going to build up the balls to go up and talk to eddie. although, his nerves were through the fucking roof and to make himself feel better, resorted to a lot of self pep-talking and telling himself how much of a stud he was; that he could just sweep the small boy off his feet with his wicked charm and funny jokes. 

it only took stanley looking at him like he was a complete moron to realize that wasn't going to work. it was a thought though. 

richie glanced around the corner of the wall closest to eddie's locker, watching the boy put stuff in the lockable compartment, just to pull it out again and rearrange it. he breathed unevenly, shaking his hands like they burned, hoping it would remove some of the nervous jitters from his body. "come on, richie," he mumbled to himself before peaking over the wall again, pressing his teeth down against his lip. 

"it's just a hello, a simple _'hey'._ " he tried, whispering to himself glancing over the wall to see eddie preoccupied with shifting around papers in his folder, not even noticing richie less than ten feet away from him.

his heart thumped into his throat and he pulled his head back, closing his eyes. "i can't do this," he said to himself, this time louder. it wasn't until he stepped back ready to turn around that he noticed someone else right behind him. he stepped on a shoe then stumbled forward to get off of whoever it was behind him that was pressed against his back.

richie spun around quickly just to see stanley staring at him with his eyes brows creased, looking at him like his head was on backward. "what are you doing?" he asked, tightening his grip on his bookbag straps. 

"what am _i_ doing?" richie asked at a loss for words, his voice going up in octaves. "what are you doing damn near fucking my back?" stanley rolled his eyes at the comment, waiting for a legitimate answer. richie then cleared his throat, and straightened out the front of his t-shirt. "weren't you going to class?" he asked a little embarrassed. 

stanley nodded, taking another step forward. "yeah, but then i turned around i noticed you got a little lost," he spoke amused, crossing his arms over his chest. "did you forget we had algebra or?" _no_. richie thought. _just that we had it together._ stanley was just a little bit taller than richie, giving him the advantage of being able to look over richie's shoulder. 

richie was growing fast though, more often then not his mom having to take him to the mall on the weekends to get new jeans or t-shirts because he'd outgrown them in a month. "no i was just," richie's cheeks burned pink as he shifted on his feet. "how long were you standing there?" the thought of stanley standing there the whole time made richies' anxiety spike. 

"long enough... why does it matter?" he could see stan's face grow more confused by the second. stanley took a few steps out into the hallway and looked in the direction richie was standing in. 

his expression changed from confused to amused again, pointing a small finger toward the open locker, both eyebrows raised. richie nodded slowly, wrapping his arm around his body to rub over his shoulder. "eddie?" stanley asked as he walked back over to richie. richie nodded again, reaching his hand up to adjust his glasses. 

"you haven't talked to him yet? i thought you were doing that this morning," it was after lunch by now and the last time richie talked about it was with stan this morning in homeroom. he said he would just get it over with in history and invite eddie to sit at lunch with them. stanley figured since there wasn't a new kid, richie just didn't get through to the boy. 

richie huffed, " _was_. it just wasn't the right timing," that wasn't true, in fact, there probably wasn't a more perfect time considering they had a substitute and their teacher didn't leave any work. eddie just seemed so peaceful scribbling away in a book that richie figured was probably a journal. 

he tried as hard as he could to squit his eyes and peer over the kid's shoulder in front of him, to maybe catch of glimpse of what eddie was writing but gave up after a few failed attempts. 

in actuality, it was partly richie's nerves that stopped him from getting up and just introducing himself and the fact that eddie seemed so invested in what he writing. he didn't want to screw that up. stanley rolled his eyes, crossing his arms again. "just go talk to him richie. we have," he looked down at his wristwatch, "five minutes before the final bell. that's more than enough time to introduce yourself."

richie shook his head, getting ready to walk the opposite way to algebra. "no, it's fine. besides, didn't you need help on last night's homework? we can just do-" before he got to finish his sentence, he was being pulled back by the straps of his book bag and pushed out into the hallway. "what the fuck, stanley?" richie asked, mildly quiet before he was pushed even further toward eddie, determined hands against his shoulders. 

"go!" stanley shouted quietly before disappearing behind the wall, only to peek his head out and give richie a wave of his hand signaling for him to keep walking. richie sagged his shoulder in defeat but did as he was told and walked closer to eddie. as he continued walking, eddie closed his locker and began walking toward him, his focus on a piece of paper gripping between his fingers. 

he was still looking down at a paper, mumbling words to himself, not noticing richie right in his line of sight. richie stopped walking, his legs and brain not communicating with each other. his brain was screaming say something or move before he walks right into you and his legs had a mind of their own, not letting richie move. 

"hey!" richie suddenly greeted loudly, making eddie stop in his tracks completely, a couple of feet away from him, his doe eyes wide and slightly startled. eddie didn't seem too convinced richie was talking to him until richie gave a small wave. eddie took another few steps closer, almost cautious, as richies' feet stayed planted. "hi," eddie spoke curiously. richie thought his legs would just give out altogether. 

"you're eddie right?" he asked, knowing all too well that was his name. eddie nodded slowly. "yeah... and you're richie?" richie opened his mouth then closed it again, confusion clouding his brain. _he knows me?_ "how-" he was cut off by eddie who spoke again, "you always make those really annoying sounds in the back of the class." richie noticed that eddie began tapping his fingers against the cover of his books in intervals of three. 

it made richie heart jump in his throat that eddie already knew what his name was. then again, that might not be such a good thing. he glanced down, his hand reaching up to shift his glasses before he left out a nervous chuckle. "uh, yeah.. sorry about that. my mom says i make too much noise too."

eddie smiled a little at that and richie felt his knee wobble. "well, i think your mom and i have similar opinions." richie felt a joke in his throat, everything in his being wanting to spit some kind of raunchy quip about the other boys' mom but he swallowed down the words and instead gave him a crooked smile.

"yeah! maybe you can come over sometime and meet her." richie spoke quickly, his words coming out slightly wavered and unconfident. he thought he heard stan slap a hand over his forehead when he said this, but he didn't blame him. he kind of wanted to do the same thing to himself. 

eddie arched his eyebrow, "we don't even know each other," he deadpanned. richie shrugged his shoulders some, scuffing his shoe down against the ground. "well, i'm richie and you're eddie. what's left to know?" eddie left out a small scoff, though he still had a small smile. "a lot. what about last names?" 

richie thought for a moment. "i'll you mine if you tell me yours?" eddie blinked a few times, eyes lashes fluttering like a butterfly against a flower petal before he let out a small giggle. "it's kaspbrak, but i'll guess you already knew that?" richie nodded his head slowly. "and mines-"

"tozier," eddie completed for him. richie stopped talking, much preferring the way eddie said his last name then he's ever heard it said before. "i never forget someone that annoyed me." 

richie scrunched his nose, "should i be offended by that?" eddie gave a small shrug, hoisting up his books. "i'll see you around, richie." he continued walking, moving out of the way so he and richie weren't in the same path anymore. before he got too far, richie spun around and gave a wary, "wait!" eddie turned on his heel to look at richie, his eyebrows scrunched. 

"at least sit at lunch with me tomorrow. us- i mean. me and my friends." he stammered out, his cheeks turning a light pink. 

eddie smiled again, this time amused as he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "is that one of them?" he asked. richie looked to where eddie pointed and watched as stan quickly hid behind the wall again. richie smiled sheepishly. "yeah, uh, that's staniel. he's shy." 

"am not, and don't call me that, richie!" stanley called from behind the wall. eddie giggled softly. "i figured he was. he was staring you down like-" richie cut in, "like i was going to fuck something up?" eddie shrugged. "i was going to put it nicer, but yeah that." 

richie smiled, rocking back on his heels. "so, is that a yes to our lunch date tomorrow?" richie teased. eddie flushed, his eyes widening. "not if you say it like that!" richie smiled sheepishly. "yeah, i'm sorry. i forgot you're new and aren't used to my charms," 

"move it along richie," he heard stan say from behind the wall. he kept forgetting his friend was there to watch him make a fool of himself. eddie rolled his eyes at the taller boy, though his face stayed amused. "i'll see you tomorrow richie." turning around again, richie could hear him mumbling things to himself. 

richie didn't really care what it was as he sprinted up to stan when eddie was far enough away, his face glowing in happiness. "see? and you said i couldn't do it with my charms." stanley rolled his eyes, gripping richie by his arm to pull him toward their shared math class. "that's what you think, rich. he didn't even give you a proper yes." richie shrugged, sliding into his desk while looking at stanley. 

"a maybe in my mind is still a yes." after a few moments of silence richie noted, "by the way, you never compensated for my services the other day." stan furrowed his eyebrows, handing richie his math homework. "what services?" stan asked slowly. "you know, where i spilled the beans to you. told you how i felt. that's hard to do ya' know. so when's the date-"

"beep beep, richie." 


	4. they call me trashmouth

_third_

richie was in the middle of harshly scratching his initials underneath the bottom of his desk in the back of mr. bakers class, using an old, rusty nail he found in the hallway. he was halfway done with the 'r' when soft taps on the top of his desk interrupted his concentration. he looked up quickly to be met with big, curious eyes. 

richie had decided not to take it any further with eddie, taking into consideration what stanley said before and because he witnessed how eddie became with new people. he was mildly surprised to notice eddie standing in front of him now.

he hid the nail in his hand and sat up straighter. "what were you doing?" eddie asked looking down at him, his eyebrows together. "i- i uh," richie stammered, using his free hand to nudge his glasses. he spit out words nervously, squeezing his fist tighter. "not your mom that's for sure! that's tonight," eddie's face contorted into disgust as he took a step back. "that's disgusting," he spoke, appalled. 

eddie turned on his heel to walk away, forgetting what he went over there for in first place. when he turned, richie began to panic, lifting his fist up quickly. "eddie, wait- ow, fuck!" richie opened his hand, the nail rolling out of his palm and onto the floor.

a small amount of blood began pooling in the middle of his hand where the nail had nicked his skin. he groaned out softly in pain, bringing his hand closer to his face to inspect the damage. eddie came back over, his voice worried. "what? what happened?" richie thought back to what stan said about most people with ocd being germaphobes and held his hand closer to his body. 

"ah, uh, nothing. i just, cut myself. i'm fine." eddie's eyebrows pinched together. "from what?" richie kept his focus on the amount of blood piling onto his palm, debating on whether to tell him. "a nail," he admitted. eddie gasped, getting closer and without thinking, gripped richies' hand pulling it toward him. 

he immediately unzipped his fanny pack pulling out a sanitary tissue. "do you know how dirty nails are? how many people touched them? and now the dirt got into your body," he spoke frantically, dabbing at richie skin with the dry wipe to stop the bleeding.

as eddie talked, fear bubbled slowly in richies' body, the smaller boys' words falling into his brain. "do you think it'll get infected?" eddie looked at richie as he tore open an alcohol wipe packet. "you better hope not."

without a warning, he began wiping the area with the small square, richie hissing in pain. "ow, what the fuck," he tried pulling his hand back only to have eddie grip it tighter.

"i have to clean it or you _will_ get an infection! you better go the doctors for this and get your blood checked. who knows what you could have gotten from that nail." eddie huffed, wiping the area three times twice until he was satisfied at the bright pink color of richies' skin. 

he pulled out a small tube of triple anti-biotic, putting some on a cotton swab, smearing it on richies' burning hand. he finishing his patch-up with a pink bandaid and a delicate pat to the area. eddie pulled away from richies' hand, uncapping hand sanitizer, feverishly rubbing the cleaning agent against his hands. 

"what were you doing playing with a nail anyway?" richie moved his hand up to his face, the pain slowly subsiding. he stared at the pink bandage, his cheeks flushing the same color. if anyone saw this, there was no way he was getting away with it. 

he hid his hand back underneath the table, reaching his good one up to fix his glasses. "i was uh... i was carving my name under the table." eddie pinched his eyebrows together, looking down at the desk on trial. 

"defacing school property can get you detention genius. are you trying to get in trouble?" eddie quipped before reaching down to nonchalantly fix richies' paper and pencil so they were straight. 

richie watched him with curiosity and didn't comment on it. he looked back up and shrugged. "it wouldn't be the first time." eddie dropped another glob on hand sanitizer on his hand before rolling his eyes. 

richie cleared his throat, shifting in his seat, beginning to feel awkward that eddie was able to look down on him. "did you give any thought to sitting with me- us, at lunch today?" 

eddie looked up surprised, like he had remembered something, a small smile creeping on to his face. "oh, yeah. that's what i came over here to talk about before you," he grimaced "made that disgusting remark about my mom," richie rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"yeah, uh, sorry about that... sometimes i don't really know when to quit talking. most of the time my friends call me trashmouth." 

eddie began giggling, pressing the back of his wrist against his mouth to muffle the sounds from coming out. richie smiled at the sight, nudging his glasses back over the bridge of his nose. "so is that a yes?" eddie's laughter died down and he nodded his head. "sure. my last class is before lunch is art. meet me there?" richie's heart sped up, his eyes widening even more. 

"wait really?" his lips caught up with his brain as he spoke again. "i- i mean, yeah! yeah, sure. i'll come pick you up. it's a date." eddie narrowed his eyes. "stop saying that."  
  
  
  


'

richie did like he promised and met eddie outside of his art class. he stood against the wall near the doorway, watching all the kids stumble out of the class. eddie was one of the last people out, his eyes cast down to his hands where they were rubbing together.

richie stepped out beside him, touching his arm to get his attention. eddie looked up quickly, ready to complain about someone touching him until he saw it was richie and his features softened. richie smiled, shoving his hands quickly into his jean pockets. "ready, spaghetti?" eddie nodded but without missing a beat said, "don't call me that." 

they continued down the hall, richie spewing whatever came to mind to keep the smaller one from getting bored. sometimes eddie would question him on something or give his opinion so richie knew he was listening, even if he wasn't contributing much.

"batman is probably my favorite superhero. i mean he can't fly like superman but his batmobile definitely makes up for it. what about you, who's your favorite superhero?" 

they stopped at eddie's locker, richie not paying attention to the fact he spun the dial three different times. eddie shrugged shortly, switching out his books and grabbing a paper bag from inside. 

"i don't know. i don't know a lot about superheroes. my mom says it turns your brain to mush." richie scoffed loudly. "what? she knows nothing! all i know is comic books and i'm perfectly fine," richie defended loudly. 

eddie smiled and eyed him for a second before walking again. "seems like it," richie scoffed again, his longer legs easily catching up to eddie's short ones. "you have to do _something_ fun. what do you like to do?" eddie thought about it for a second before shrugging his shoulders again. "i don't know. draw, i guess." richie's nosed crinkled up. he hated drawing. 

"and music, what about music?" richie asked quickly. 

"i have a pretty generic taste in music. whatever my mom puts on the radio is what i listen to," richie gripped his chest dramatically. "you hurt me eddie, i mean genuinely hurt me. you have so much to learn," eddie looked up at richie as they walked into the lunchroom, their bodies nearly pressed together to fit through the door at the same time. "oh, yeah? and you're going to teach me?" 

richie nodded confidently, leading the way to his normal table, spotting bill and stanley already sitting there. "yeah. think of me like your fun tutor." eddie smiled and gripped his lunch bag harder, his chest began to tighten as richie walked them up to the table, a small amount of anxiety settling in his stomach. 

"guys," richie interrupted their conversation unapologetically, a big smile crossing his face. "this," he stuck his arm out his hand almost bumping into eddie's chest, "is eduardo. he's hispanic, so, spanish only." eddie flushed brightly and smacked his arm down. "don't say that! god, you really are a trashmouth aren't you?" bill snickered softly and stood up, a soft smile on his face. 

"y-you'll learn to ignore it. i'm-" 

"billiam! my most trusted advisor!" richie introduced loudly in a terrible english accent. "he has a s-s-stutter you see! mustn't blame him for butchering your most fine of names, i-" 

"beep beep, richie." stan cut in, stopping the situation from spreading any further. stanley looked up at eddie from where he sat. "if he ever becomes too much just say 'beep beep' and he'll shut up. stanley uris, but i go by stan and that's bill." he held out his for eddie to take, before instantly taking it back giving an apologetic smile. 

eddie smiled gratefully. he glanced at richie who seemed disappointed that his act got cut short and couldn't help but find it amusing. "you're the one i saw in the hallway, right?" stanley nodded sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders. "yeah. i wanted to make sure if he scared you off to get him out of the hallway before he chased after you."

richie glared half-heartedly, regretting his decision to bring eddie to his lunch table. his friends were giving him the worst first impression. eddie smiled wider, a giggle bursting from his lips. 

"well, i appreciate it. he seems to have trapped me anyway though," he glanced up at richie before taking a seat next to stanley, no one saying anything when he pulled out a wet wipe and began wiping down his seat and area of the table.

richie smiled bashfully, reaching his hand up to nudge his glasses. he took the seat beside bill so he had a clear shot of eddie. he knew beverly would have something to say about it considering she always sat next to bill, but right now he didn't care. 

he watched eddie unroll his neatly wound bag and pull out mostly veggies. richie grimaced at the choice in food. he had three bags, one full of baby carrots, the next celery, and the last one a wheat sandwich of some kind. 

"god, eds. do you eat anything good?" he asked, his nose still crinkled. eddie looked down at his zip-locked baggies. "this is good for me," richie shook his head. "no. _good_. as in unhealthy." eddie shook his head, chomping down on a carrot. "it's my choice to eat like this." richie grimaced again, leaning back against his chair in defeat. 

"aren't you going to eat anything?" eddie asked in a smaller voice as if not embarrass the boy. richie felt around in his pants pockets, coming up empty-handed. "my parents will give me lunch money eventually," richie shrugged shortly. "besides, i always steal food off of b-eaver-ly." 

" _beaverly?_ " eddie asked confused. "it's beverly and that's my seat, tozier." richie rolled his eyes, his magnified glasses making it obvious. "not today it isn't marsh. today your seat is by the one and only dick tozier." she humphed out a sarcastic laugh, sitting beside him anyway. 

"i'm only doing this today to be nice," she glanced at eddie who was in a side conversation with bill. "don't get used to it." richie nodded but didn't take her threat seriously, plucking a fry off her tray. 

beverly subconsciously moved it closer to him, picking up her fork and handing richie the other one. eddie watched partly grossed out but curious. how was she so willing to just let richie eat off her tray like that? so many germs are spread by spit alone and sharing that spit multiple times? eddie had to look away before he regurgitated any of his half-eaten carrots. 

"h-hey eddie," he silently thanked bill for pulling his attention away from the germ-infested scene happening in front of him. "d-do you want to g-go to the qu-quarry with us a-after school?" eddie looked around the table briefly, eddie meeting richies' hopeful eyes. 

he swallowed thickly, casting his eyes down to his foot. he felt his chest tighten, his breathing becoming shallow. _the quarry? were they crazy? doesn't the barrens water run through there? and they swim willingly in that?_ he tapped his foot three times against the floor before looking up again. "i, um, can't. my mom wants me home as soon as school's over today. maybe... another time?" 

bill nodded understandingly but richie slumped in his seat, highly disappointed, pushing away bevs' tray. she nudged it back toward him but he just solemnly shook his head, taking the offered chocolate milk. 

"w-what about you, rich?" bill asked pulling richies' attention away from the hypochondriac in front of him. he looked to his right then shrugged his shoulder. "i never turn down an opportunity to party."   
  
  
  
  
  


_eddie do be dramatic but what's richies' excuse_


	5. pink bandages

_third_   
  
  
  


"c'mon rich, stop being such a debby downer," bev said playfully as she nudged richie's shoulder. richie had been to simply put it; pouting for over the last hour. he looked over at her, his face in a small grimace. 

"don't tell me how to feel marsh," he retorted harshly, continuing to push around a stick he found in the sand of the quarry's cliff. "well at least come swim with us," she said standing up from a rock. september was one of the more hotter months in derry. it was like the calm before a whirlwind of winter wonderland was upon them. 

he looked up at his through his glasses, his face scrunching from the sun beating down on him. "why? all we ever do is play chicken anyway." he muttered, scratching out a drawing he did on the ground under him. "you love playing chicken," she tried again, this time with more enthusiasm in her voice. 

he shrugged his shoulders, looking down at the bland palette he was given to draw with. "bev! get down here!" she looked over her shoulder at the sound of her name before looking back at richie, her red eyebrows scrunched together.

"fine, stay up here," she huffed in defeat. "you know where we'll be." she turned around and made a sprint for the edge, landing with a loud splash at the bottom. richie let out a breath of relief he didn't realize he was holding, stabbing the stick harshly into the sand. 

"fuck those guys," he mumbled mostly to himself, shifting under the scorching sun, uncomfortable heat beating down on his back. he softened his stuck-up posture after a few seconds, his irritation deflating. she was only trying to help, it wasn't her fault he was just being a douche right now. 

after his somber mood returned, he picked the stick back up, setting his smushy chin on the palm of his hand, ignoring the itching pain coming from his elbow digging into his knee. he knew it was silly to be disappointed eddie didn't come but he had been pining over the boy for weeks, wanting nothing more than to talk to him. 

then, when he finally did, eddie did exactly to him what he did with everyone else; turned him down. it made richie's heart sink a little. the stick moved mindlessly over sand, richie letting his hand create whatever it wanted. 

eddie was so bright and soft and all richie wanted to do was wrap his tiny figure in a blanket and keep him in his pocket, so wherever richie went, eddie went too. richie guessed figuring he was special because eddie actually talked to him was stupid. 

"idiot," richie mumbled, this time to himself. he huffed softly and looked down at the sand, taking in his finished product. he drew a sunflower, a good looking one in his opinion, but that's not what surprised him. underneath the flower were initials _e. k._

his cheeks burned a bright red as he immediately scribbled out of the letters, his heart thumping loudly. he glanced over his shoulder to make sure none of his friends or someone else was close enough to see over his shoulder before he erased it. 

he calmed down when all he saw was more lake and trees. he sighed out, looking over his flower again. richie was notorious for initials, anything he came by he always scratched onto whatever surface was near his shortened signature. normally he carried around a small pocket knife but he never dared take it into school, which is why he decided a nail would be a good whittler today. 

at the thought, he glanced down at his palm, almost missing the bright pink bandage that occupied it early this morning. he missed it even more now as he thought about it being the only thing that connected him to eddie. he grimaced slightly at the sight of it. it was a ghastly cut. 

for being such a germaphobe, he really didn't know how eddie cleaned it. it was gross looking enough for richie to not even want to touch it. a brilliant idea popped into his head after another second of looking at the red, tarnished skin. 

he stood to his feet, putting on his slip-on's along with his t-shirt and button-up. he went over to the edge of the cliff ready to yell down to his friends of his departure but saw they were too far away to hear him clearly. 

he walked back over to where he sitting and grabbed the stick, scratching out the sunflower, making it memory just the like the letters below it. he moved to smother patch of sand and in big letters wrote the words-

_'left r. t.'_

he threw down the stick beside it, knowing his friends would get the memo, but not really caring if they saw it or not. he mounted his bike and began his tread toward neibolt street. richie didn't want to seem like a stalker - even though in some peoples eyes he most definitely would be - so labeled it more to curiosity over the fact he knew where eddie lived. 

when he and losers were in town the other week, he saw one little eddie kaspbrak go into creepy man keene's pharmacy and come out ten minutes later with two prescription bags. he didn't have his bike so richie figured his mom was nearby, but when eddie came out he instantly walked towards the sidewalk, keeping his head down. 

richie watched a little longer, the curiosity bubbling in him like it never had before. he gave a quick goodbye to his friends and got on his bike, following a distance behind eddie. richie didn't want to look like a creep following a kid home, so he strayed away from getting too close and made it look like he was just out sightseeing. 

he would glance up at a building he'd seen a million times before a little longer than normal then cast his eyes back to the brightly colored shirt of eddie who walked really fast with someone with what richie figured was asthma. richie would have thought otherwise but the day josh stepped on eddie's shoe, he pulled out an inhaler after biting the tenth graders' head off. 

he backed off a greater distance once they got out of town and into neighborhoods, keeping his bike on the sidewalk while eddie strayed onto the street. he couldn't see much from the front of eddie's body but he got the perfect view of the back, watching as eddie's small olive green cargo shorts would rise up and fall with each step he took. 

as their unknowing stroll together continued richie picked up on a few more tics of his, finding each one more adorable than the other. anytime eddie would come near a crack in the road, he would deliberately step over it, making a bigger stride than normal. 

richie figured he did this because of the stupid nursery rhyme of _'step on a crack, and you'll break your mothers back.'_ he didn't find it stupid when eddie did this though, it only made his heart warmer.

finally, they turned onto auburn street where eddie apparently lived. richie made note of the bright white mailbox and red lawn chairs when eddie pattered up the concrete steps of his house, pulling a key from out of his sock to unlock and lock the door three times before going in. 

richie now rode down neibolt, this time going much faster than last time, holding onto his bike handle with only one hand, his butt lifted off the seat and into the air as bill told him one time if you weren't sitting, you went faster. 

richie knew he was playing a risky game riding his bike standing up and with only one hand, especially because his eye-coordination wasn't all that good but it would be worth getting another bruise or scratch falling off his bike if that meant eddie kaspbrak would be his doctor.

he carelessly threw his bike at the end of the kaspbrak driveway, walking up the same steps concrete steps eddie had, two at a time. 

when he made it on the porch, he noticed the newspaper hadn't been taken it yet so, he scooped it up and knocked on the front door twice, waiting for it to open. 

when it did, a lady in her mid-thirties opened the door, chubby face in a scowl. it softened some when she saw it was a just a kid, but her tone still wasn't all that nice. "hello. what can i do for you young man?" richie smiled, swallowing back any jokes he thought of on his way here. 

"good evening ma'am. i'm richie tozier. i believe this is yours?" he asked extended his arm that held the rolled-up newspaper. she looked at it for second before grabbing it out his hands. "yes. is that all?" she asked again a little impatient. richie shook his head, pulling his hand back once she took it, hiding his damaged one behind his back. 

"no, uh, is eddie home? i'm a friend from school, i'm just returning something of his." she looked at him suspiciously. "what is it? i'll give it to him," she spoke sternly, her eyes expectant. richie panicked slightly. 

"oh! uh, it's an assignment he wasn't sure on. i was just going to explain it to him quickly if i could?" another voice interrupted the two in their conversation, richie lighting up at the sound. 

"mom? who's at the door?" mrs. kaspbrak stepped back to get a better look at eddie. "do you know this boy, dear?" she asked, her voice instantly going sweeter. richie gave her small glare because of her rudeness toward him but then couldn't blame her. he does the same thing. you just couldn't help it when it came to eddie. 

eddie looked over his mom's arm, his eyes widening when he saw richie's grinning appearance. "oh. yeah, that's my friend richie from school." richie felt his pulse spike at the word 'friend'. sonia looked back over at richie then at eddie again. "he said he had an assignment to explain to you. is that true?" he looked up at his mom then back at richie, nodding his head. 

"yeah, we have the same history class and i was just having a little trouble." she huffed softly. "fine. twenty minutes tops. nice meeting you, richie." she moved out of the doorway to let eddie through. "oh, uh, you too mrs. k!" richie yelled back. 

eddie stepped further into the doorway, confusion reading his face. "what are you doing here, richie?" richie sheepishly raised his hand, using his free one to rub the back of his neck. eddie cautiously grabbed richies hand, inspecting the cut, his face in a small frown. "where's the bandaid i gave you? i told you it would get infected if you didn't keep it on," 

richie shrugged, watching eddie examine his burning hand. "fell off," eddie sighed and dropped his hand, looking over his shoulder into his house. "fine, just," he looked back at richie, his voice in a whisper. "just be quiet. my mom shouldn't hear us over the t.v. but she'll be mad if she catches you in the house." 

richie nodded, an excited smile landing on his lips. "being sneaky? who knew you had it in ya, eds." eddie looked at his face for a second, a sweet smile falling over his features too before he rolled his eyes and grabbed richie by the wrist, leading him into the house. they both snuck by the living room no problem and up to eddie's room with minimal sound. 

eddie opened his door and pushed richie inside before whispering a stern, "stay here and do _not_ touch anything." richie nodded his head but he figured eddie didn't see it as he had already shut the door. richie looked around, ignoring the annoying thump of pain in his hand. he glanced down at it briefly, his eyes widening. he really didn't think he pricked himself this deep, but then again, eddie was right. he really didn't know how dirty that nail was. 

he knew if it didn't heal in a few days he would have to tell his mom or dad to take him to the doctors but he hoped it didn't come to that. he hated bothering them with little things. 

he looked around eddie's room, taking in the basic decor and the pristine set up. the bed was made perfectly and everything in his room looked like it had a spot. he had a bookshelf but it was a lot smaller than richies'. 

richie walked up to it, inspecting the books laid inside, taking note of how everything was in alphabetical order. his eyes stopped when they landed on a particular book, the title reading, _"how to deal with your obsessive-compulsive disorder"_. richie quickly picked up the book, scanning over the front and flipping it to the back. 

_"obsessive-compulsive disorder; ocd. living every day with an illness you can't control can be tough and could often lead to depression. this book will help you learn coping mechanisms and-"_

"what are you doing? i told you not to touch anything." richie spun around when he heard eddie's voice, his cheeks reddening slightly. eddie set everything down in a row before walking over to richie and pulling the book out of his hands and setting back where it was. 

"sorry, i was just-" eddie cut him off as he led him to his desk chair, his arm against richie's back being his guide. "just what? snooping?" richie sighed in defeat, sitting in the spinning chair. he began rotating back and forth as he watched eddie grabbed everything from his dresser bringing closer. 

eddie stood in between richie's legs, his knees hitting eddie's thighs every time he rotated. eddie gripping richie's shoulders keeping him in place, narrowing his eyes before holding out his hand for richie's damaged one. 

richie placed his hand on eddie palm, stretching out his fingers. eddie grimaced when he looked down at it, biting down on his tongue to hold himself back from saying something rude. 

eddie wiped at the cut with a cotton ball, watching as it bubbled from the peroxide. richie winced loudly, bouncing his leg up and down. "fuck, that hurts." he mumbled. "well if you would have kept the bandage on like a told you to, it probably wouldn't be this bad, idiot." eddie snapped lightly.

richie huffed softly, nudging his glasses back up his nose. eddie watched him do this curiously before opening a tin of poter's salve, wiping the off-white creamy substance on richie's hand, the ingured boys' good hand flying up to his nose. "god, what is that? that shit smells terrible," eddie glared at richie, ripping a piece of a new cotton ball off and sticking it over the cream. 

"it helps. you'll get used to it." he mumbled, ripping open the packaging to a new bandaid. he pulled off the wax layers and laid it horizontal across richie's hand. he smiled softly down at his handy work, moving out from richie's legs to gather all of the health supplies back up. richie looked down at the bright pink bandage, an unknowing smile lingering on his lips. 

"you should probably go now," eddie spoke, breaking richie from his attentive stare. "if my mom finds out you're up here she'll flip." richie nodded his head quickly, standing up from the desk chair. "sure thing, eds. see you later?" richie asked, hopeful. 

eddie turned his back to richie, replying monotonously, "it's eddie. see you on monday." 

richie bit back a smile looking at the smaller ones back. he turned on his heel and crept down the steps slowly, only breaking into a gleeful sprint when he was out of the house on the kaspbrak driveway. 

he could've giggled like a school-girl if he let himself. he mounted his bike and rode down the street happily, absent-mindedly humming the tune of _your song_ by _elton john_.   
  
  
  
  
  



	6. thinking about someone?

_third_

"it was just a scrape stan and eddie had already fixed it once today so i figured since he already knew my medical status, why not go to him again?" richie stated, a small smile falling onto his lips. the line on the other side was quiet for a moment before stanley spoke up again, his voice in teasing tone.

 _"so let me get this straight,"_ he began. richie nodded, absent-mindedly twirling the phone cord around his finger. he felt stupid after he realized stanley couldn't see him nod. _"you went the whole way across town so eddie could ' fix' your hand, when your mom is a registered nurse?" _

richie's smile dropped as his cheeks turned a blotchy red color. he didn't even think about it that way. and now that he had, he felt self-conscious, even more so he realized his position on his bed. he laid on his stomach, phone beside his arm as his ankles were crossed, sitting proudly above his body. 

he felt like a girl in an old chick-flick that was going on and on to her best friend about how cute her crush was. he untangled the phone cord from his finger and put his feet down, quickly changing his posture to sit on his knees. "yeah, i uh, guess i did." richie mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

stan, sensing his discomfort changed the subject. _"bill was a little pissed you left, though. you were his ride."_ richie furrowed his eyebrows and moved off of his knees to sit on his bum, crossing his legs over each other. "what's wrong with his bike?" richie asked reaching over into his bedside table to pull out the pack of cigarettes beverly left there the other day. 

_"i don't know, something with the chains. he talked to you about it yesterday,"_ stan reminded. richie hummed, lighting the stick between his lips. he really only ever smoked with beverly, but he decided today was an exception. he grabbed the portable landline phone, taking it as far as the cord would let him go before setting it down and just taking the earpiece. 

he sat at his window, opening it to let the smoke roll out in a thin stream of grey. "i must have forgotten. it's about time that old piece of shit gets a fix." richie said with a mouthful of foul-tasting smoke. stanley let out a small laugh, _"i'm not surprised, you've been forgetting a lot of things lately. anything - anybody in particular on your mind?" _

richie eyes widen and his cheeks began to heat again. "fuck off, _urine_. what's that supposed to mean?" richie asked defensively. stanley let out a knee-slapping laugh, no doubt with his head tilted back. _"nothing! i was just curious."_ he sighed softly after his laughter died down. _"i have to go, see you monday?"_

richie nodded then rolled his eyes at himself. "aren't you coming to the theater tomorrow? i guess bev invited the library kid to go." richie mentioned, knowing that she would most likely be busy with him and ignore richie.

stanley sighed again, this time lowering his voice. _"i can't. i have family visiting from pennsylvania. if i'm not here my dad'll tweak. apparently they're coming for some stupid family reunion, i don't know. i'll see if i can sneak out later and meet you guys at bill's house though,"_

richie snickered softly at the thought of mr. uris' young face actually tweaking out. "wow, stanny boy is actually thinking of sneaking out? i might have to upgrade you to stan the man if you get away with it," richie joked. stanley rolled his eyes and huffed from the other side of the phone. 

_"very funny, richie. talk to you later."_ stanley hung up first, knowing if he didn't richie would stay on the line until he did anyway. it wasn't until richie heard the faint buzzing of the disconnected line did he got up and slammed the phone back on its receiver. 

he walked back over to his window, stubbing out the half of cigarette he had left, before throwing it back into his nightstand. richie plopped on his bed the flicked off his lamp, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of his khaki shorts chafing against his hip. carelessly, he tossed his glasses on the pillow beside him and rubbed the forming bags under his eyes. 

he thought about inviting eddie to the movie theater with them tomorrow hoping that he might actually say yes. richie held up his left hand, admiring the handy work of eddie kaspbrak, the blurry outline of the hot pink bandaid making richie's heart swell with a sense of hope. eddie was right, he did get used to the smell. 

the more he thought about it, the more he realized eddie smelled of the faint, pungent creamy substance, just to a much lower degree. he smiled and pulled his hand close to his chest, basking in the now very comforting smell. 

'

richie flipped furiously through the house phone book, groaning softly when he came up empty-handed for the second time. he threw the outdated yellow pages on the ground beside him, slumping back against his couch. how was he supposed to call the kaspbrak residence when their number wasn't in any of the phone books they had?

he sighed, getting up from the ground, walking into the bustling kitchen of his parents. he sat the kitchen table and watched them, his brain clouding with boredom. he knew he had to ask for money, but he always felt bad asking when they were busy. then again, they always seemed busy. 

"mom," he tried, but was accidentally ignored as she dug through her purse, her eyebrows clenched together. "mom," he said again, this time much louder. she jumped while finally looking over at him, then gave him a small smile. "oh, i'm sorry, richie. i didn't even see you there," richie rolled his eyes. 

"do we have any new yellow pages?" he asked, not bothering for small talk. she hummed for a second. "aren't there any under the t.v stand?" she asked, shoving papers into the pockets of her scrubs. he shook his head. "outdated." 

"have you tried my study? you know i always pick up things at the corner store on sundays." his dad piped in, raising a greying eyebrow from his place at the counter. richie smiled a little, shaking his head. "no, i didn't even think about that. thanks," 

richie stood up, turning on his heel to go back up the stairs. he stopped again to turn around, clenching and unclenching his fists. richie knew there was no reason to be nervous, it was just a simple request. lifting his good hand up, he nudged his glasses. "hey, uh, can i have money? to go to the theater? i only need a few dollars." 

neither of his parents looked up from the tasks in front of them, though his mother answered him this time. "isn't there money in the cookie jar?" richie glanced over at the bear-shaped jar that his parents would often stick a few bills in for richie to take when he was out of money. they hadn't put money in there since last month. 

richie only knew of one bill left in that jar and didn't plan on using it unless he really needed to, not actually knowing when his parents were going to realize they haven't done it for a while. 

richie nodded his head, turning away to walk from the kitchen, "yeah, yeah. i'll get it from there." he jumped up the stairs two at a time, almost stumbling and falling on his knees when his foot caught on the last step.

he opened the door to his dad's study, crinkling his nose at the smell of pure oak wood and murphy's oil soap. he walked over to the neatly organized desk and began opening and closing drawers, carelessly shuffling the things on his dad's desk to find what he was looking for. 

he pulled the very bottom one open and saw a new looking phone book on top of everything else. he smiled to himself and pulled it out, setting it on the desk. he pulled out the desk chair to sit in and picked up the phone handle, flipping quickly through the pages to find the letter 'k'.

upon finding it, he double-checked the numbers as he put them in, tapping his fingers impatiently and groaning at the insistent ringing on the other line. he slouched back into the leather chair but quickly perked up when he heard a small _"hello?"_ on the other line. richie sat up hastily, banging his knee off the desk. 

"eddie! ow, shit," it quiet for a second before he got a response. _"richie?"_ eddie asked slowly. richie nodded then rubbed his knee, rolling his eyes when he realized he nodded. "yeah! uh... how's your weekend so far?" it was silent again then eddie answered after a few seconds. _"it's been going on for about forty-five minutes. how...how did you get our house phone number?"_

richie laughed warily, looking down at the phone book. "what, you didn't give it to me?" it was quiet for another few seconds. "no," eddie deadpanned. richie sighed softly. "okay, so i have resources. resources being the yellow pages," he heard eddie sigh on the other line before responding. _"i'll see you on monday richie-"_

"no, wait! i swear i'm not some like stalker or anything, i uh, i called to see if you wanted to come with me- us, to the theater today. us being the losers. we'll probably go to franks' diner afterward but if you don't have to go there," richie proposed. 

it was quiet and out of nervousness, richie gripped the phone cord, and dug his top teeth into his bottom lip. _"oh, um..."_ richie waited patiently, his breathing shallow. _"i don't know richie. movie theaters are kind of... gross."_ eddie stated somewhat quietly. 

richie cleared his throat softly. "oh, uh... okay. that's okay." eddie cut in quickly, making richie's heart speed up. _"but, i'll talk to my mom and see what she says. what's the address?"_ richie quickly gave him the address for the theater. "cool. i uh... maybe will see you there?"

eddie cleared his throat, and richie could hear some shuffling on the other line. _"yeah, sure. see you later richie."_ eddie hung up and richie placed the phone back on the desk, butterflies in his stomach.

he nearly skipped to his room to jot down eddie number in the notebook on his desk -though he wasn't sure why he did this because he never forgot anything- and to call stan on his own phone. mr. uris picked up and richie cursed to himself when he remembered stanley had a family reunion today. 

_"this is the uris residence-"_ richie cut in, "hey, mr. uris! is-" he got cut off. _"stanley is busy today richie. tell the rest of your friends that too."_ richie sighed faintly, knowing how hard-headed stanley's dad was. "yeah, sure." richie sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, waiting for the call to end.

mr. uris sighed quietly, "tell your mother i said hello, yes?" stanley's dad and his mom had been friends before either boys had been born which is probably why the pair are such good friends now. richie knew the uris family had a softer spot for him, which is why he wasn't worried about stanley getting in trouble when he called. richie nodded. "will do." mr. uris hummed, his voice softer. "goodbye, richie." 

"bye mr.-" he was cut short by the humming on the other line. "uris." 

  
  
  
  



	7. maybe he was nervous

_third (slurs warning)_

richie stood outside the aladdin movie theater, waiting patiently for their final party member to arrive. every couple of seconds he would look down at bills' wrist-watch seeing that only seconds had gone by. he sighed softly, crouching down to pick up a rock, tossing it carelessly down the side-walk. 

richie figured he shouldn't be surprised or let down by the fact eddie wasn't going to show, but yet a small puddle of disappointed settled in the bottom of his tummy. richie glanced around the sidewalks, hoping that with every passing person, behind them would be hidden little eddie kaspbrak with his clipped on fanny pack and stretchy short- shorts. 

richie smiled at the fantasy, his whole being wanting nothing more than for it become reality. richie looked up when the theater doors opened, losing his balance when the big door hit his side. he landed on his bum with small 'oof', wincing softly when a rock stabbed painfully into his cut. 

"ow, fuck," he mumbled, looking down at the embedded rock that ripped through the forming scab. "why don't you watch where you're going next time, fag," the spit of words came from above him, filled with disgust and hatred. he looked up only to huff and stand to his feet, standing a good five inches shorter than henry bowers. 

richie glared through his glasses though he knew he didn't look anywhere near as intimidating. "what, you couldn't see me? i'm not hard to miss, asshat. maybe _you_ should get glasses to frame that already fucked up face of yours," richie fired back. henry glared, taking two long strides forward. 

"want to say that again, frog face?" richie tilted his chin higher, though his tough exterior was slowly cracking. he clenched and unclenched his fists. "are you deaf now too?" richie quipped, knowing what was about to come next. 

henry took another angry step closer, his fist held high enough ready to collide with richie's face. just as henrys' ring cladded fist was about to smash into richie's nose, a voice stopped the quick movements. 

"hey! bowers! i hear your dad is right around the corner, need me to go get him for you?" beverly shouted from across the street, a plastic bag gripped tight between her fingers, boots hitting heavy against the pavement as she walked. 

bowers glared over his shoulder then looked back at richie, a menacing scowl still on his face. "this isn't over fuck face," he gave richie's shoulder a harsh shove, making richie stumbled back into a trash can. richie glared in his direction as the older on walked away and stood up straight, brushing off his child-like graphic t-shirt. beverly finally made her way in front of him, a worried look spread across her freckled face. 

"are you okay? he's such a fucking asshole," she said while watching them get into belch huggins car. richie nodded watching them too. "thanks for that, but i could've handled it." he mumbled sheepishly. she looked at him with a small smile. "and fuck up even more of your teeth? i'm surprised your dad hasn't put a cap on those razor blades yet," she joked. 

he said nothing, shoving his hands into his front pockets. beverly eyed him curiously when he didn't make a snarky remark back as reached into her back pocket, pulling out a box of cigarettes.

"what are you doing out here anyway?" richie looked up at her, his face scrunched to prevent his glasses from falling off his face. he used the back of his hand to push them up before shrugging. "waiting for somebody - nobody. it's not nice to leave a guest waiting by himself though is it?" 

she nodded her head slowly. "is it that eddie kid?" richie shrugged his shoulders. "so what if it is. why aren't you in there? i thought you already went inside." she held up with a plastic bag full of what richie figured was movie contraband. "bill sent me out for snacks," she smiled a devious smile before stubbing her cigarette out against the brick wall when richie declined a hit. 

beverly gripped richies' hand, pulling toward the entrance. "just come inside, we both know you're missing your favorite part of coming to the movies," richie scoffed taking his wrist back. "oh yeah? and what's that?" she laughed, opening the bag to stuff snacks down both of their pants. "making fun of the upcoming attractions. and i know that because it's my favorite too. now come on! if he-"

"eddie-" richie quickly corrected then blushed, taking the packet of m&ms out beverly's hand before she shoved them down his pants. "eddie," she continued, "is coming he'll find us in there. you were right. we're not hard to miss." richie sighed in defeat, following beverly into the theater.

they both made a hasty walk into the theater, gaining some attention by employees when richie tripped trying to pick up a fallen box of snowcaps from beverly overalls. they both giggled, shoving into each other as they rushed into the theater room and up to their friends. "there you are! i thought you got l-lost or something," bill said in an annoyed, hushed tone. 

"sorry, billiam," richie answered, tossing him the bag of reese's pieces. "i wasn't t-talking to you," bill said when beverly sat down next to him. richie glared. "fuck you too," richie grumbled. mike snickered from beside richie, but quieted down when the row below them 'shushed'. 

richie stuck both his middle fingers up before turning to mike. "hey, homeschool. finally got off the farm for a day?" mike nodded but got cut off before he got to answer. "richie," bill complained from beside him. "why are these all melted?" richie shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, opening the box of snow caps. "they were in my pants." 

bill quickly tossed the package on richie's lap, glaring at theater screen as everyone around them began laughing. 

'

"so he didn't show up?" stanley asked leaning against the wall near richie's locker, meticulously chomping down on a cereal bar. richie began pouting without even realizing it. "no," he complained softly, shoving his history textbook into his bookbag. "he didn't even give me a like, i don't know, a fucking, _'hey richie, sorry i couldn't make it and i'm a dick.'_ call." 

stanley giggled softly, finding it amusing how flustered richie was. richie glared half-heartedly, taking the bar out of stanleys' hand, closing his locker with his elbow. "fuck off, uris." stanley watched him, startled. "richie do not-" before he could get anything else out, richie had taken the last bite of his breakfast, shoving the empty wrapper back into his hands. 

stanley looked down at his empty cereal bar wrapper and sighed softly, crumpling it in his fist, jogging down the hallway to catch up with richie. "maybe he was just nervous?" stanley tried, tossing the wrapper in a nearby trashcan as they walked by it. "what?" richie asked confused, already off their previous topic. _"eddie,"_ stanley tried again. 

"oh," richie mumbled, then shrugged. "his loss. i'm a babe. you would know that, wouldn't you stanny boy," richie smirked, nudging him lightly in the arm. stanley rolled his eyes but answered anyway. "my _hero_. maybe he had a good reason for not showing up," richie hummed, stopping at his classroom door. stanley turned on his heel picking up his speed as he walked backward. 

"don't forget you're helping me with that math project tonight, trashmouth!" he yelled from down the hallway. richie smiled, tipping his chin forward once. "it's a date," richie said just as loud. stanley gave him a small smirk before turning around, disappearing behind a wall. "what is?" richie whipped his head over his shoulder when he heard a familiar voice, his heart kicking up a gear. 

"oh, uh," richie stammered, watching eddie looked him, confusion written all over his delicate features. "stan, we-" "you're dating stanley?" eddie asked rather alarmed. "what? no!" richie quickly defended, walking to his seat in the back of the class. when richie sat down, he was still surprised to see that eddie followed him, waiting for him to continue. 

"it's a figure of speech, eds," richie clarified, nudging the perfectly fitted glasses on his nose. eddie nodded shortly, "good, you don't want people getting the wrong idea." eddie mumbled. richie's stomach instantly churned as he scrunched his forehead. "what ideas?" he asked feening disinterest while on the inside was counting to ten so he didn't throw up all over the hypochondriacs' shoes. 

eddie shook his head quickly. "nothing! it's just... kids can be rude sometimes, ya' know? no point helping spread a fire if it doesn't need fuel." richie gave a single shoulder shrug, opening his american history textbook for the first time in weeks since eddie's been there. "i don't really care what people say about me, eds. it's been happening since the third grade," 

eddie stayed silent for another second before answering. "it wasn't you that i was talking about," he then mentioned down to richie's hand. "how's your palm?" richie looked down at the scab. it still hurt like a bitch, especially when he put pressure on it but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. "like brand new. thanks, dr. k," eddie flushed a small pink color, the edge of his lips threatening to flip up in a smile. 

"yeah, sure, just don't show up to my house uninvited again. my mom nearly sat me down in an investigation room to figure out who you were," richie rose his eyebrows slightly. "like scarface style interrogating?" eddie let out a small giggle, pressing the back of his hand up against his mouth. richie's heart spiked in pace and his hand reflexively reached up and nudged his glasses. 

there was an unspoken goodbye when the teacher began class, eddie giving a small smile, retreating to his seat two rows away. 

early this morning richie found himself irritated and disappointed that eddie didn't show up to a last-minute invitation and now at that moment, he couldn't remember at all what he was even upset about. he wished so much he could put into words how he felt right now because he wanted to relive this small moment, again and again, basking in the feeling that only eddie kaspbrak gave him. 

'

when lunch came, richie found himself unintentionally venting over an oddly pretty, neurotic fourteen year old again, ripping off pieces of beverly's roll from her pasta dish, shoving it into his mouth. "i mean, i get he has ocd or some shit but even today in class, he didn't say anything about standing me up." stanley rolled his eyes, scooting down further in his seat, ready to throw his hands over his ears if he had to hear this story one more time. 

"did you even ask him why he didn't come?" bill asked curiously. everyone is the losers' club seemed to be taking a liking to richie's new friend, though richie wasn't all that confident that he could officially call eddie that yet. richie thought for a moment, realizing he didn't even ask eddie why he didn't show up. 

"no," richie spook with a mouthful of food. "i think his mom's like, psycho or something so it probably had something to do with that," beverly hummed from beside him. "or maybe he just doesn't like you," richie glared at her, pulling a pea off her tray and throwing it at her face. "fuck you, marsh." richie grumbled. 


	8. trials and errors of three

_third_

"hey! hey, eddie!" richie called from half-way down the hallway, dodging kids that brushed his shoulder, trying to reach one eddie kaspbrak. he saw eddie shortly turn his head before slowing down then turning his body completely, watching richie jog up to him. richie stopped a few feet away, a small, nervous smile on his face. "i, uh... i'm not sure if this was clear or not but you're allowed to sit with us every day at lunch ya' know? not just that one time," richie quipped softly. 

eddie gave a small smile in return, though it looked forced before nodding his head. "i know, i just had other stuff to do. besides, the library is quiet." richie nodded, rubbing his fingers against his palm to get rid of the clamminess. "well, i could always join you? i- i mean if you want?" 

eddie dodged his eyes away from richie's before he answered. "oh, uh...no thanks, i like being in there alone. gives me time to think," he answered shortly, tapping his fingers against the tightly gripped journal. richie bit his lip, thrown off by the impassive bluntness. "yeah," richie trailed, rocking back on his heels. "so, stanley is coming over today, i'm helping him with an algebra assignment if you want to come?" 

eddie raised an eyebrow. "to what? sit and watch you two do math problems all night? no thanks," eddie turned, ready to walked away when richie began to follow behind him. "it's not the only thing we'll do. stanley can sometimes be boring, but i always lighten up the mood," eddie shook his head, though an amused smile threatened to fall onto his lips. 

"no thanks, tozier. maybe next time," eddie called when richie stopped walking. richie groaned irritably, kicking one of the lockers beside him, the metal rippling from the hit. "nice, idiot. now if there's a dent you have to pay for that," richie felt a nudge on his shoulder and turned around. 

"i don't have to pay for anything stanley." richie huffed then followed it with, "not if i don't get caught," stanley rolled his eyes then smiled, a small glint in his eye. "trouble in paradise?" he asked, teasingly. richie instantly glared at him. "fuck off, stan." he huffed. "and no. he's just too fucking pussy to do anything. i don't get it. i'm not that fucking intimidating," stanley kept his calm composure, following richie outside. 

"i don't think it's that richie. he's probably not used to having friends. you can't expect him to instantly just join you in an escapade of adventures when most of his life he's probably stayed indoors. safe," richie hummed thoughtfully, kicking a rock that was in his way. stanley did have a point. stanley always had a point. 

richie narrowed his eyes at the sun that made a glare against his glasses before huffing and just taking them off completely, gripping stanleys' arm for balance. "i hate it when you're right, you know," richie commented softly, playing with the weird fabric of the taller boys button-up. "i know," stan breathed, taking in their surroundings, letting richie lean on him, now holding them both up. 

"we should stop at franks' diner before going to your house. i'm craving a burger." stanley mentioned. richie looked up at him with blurry vision, his mouth slowly salivating at the thought of a juicy cheeseburger. "you paying?" he asked teasingly, even though he knew guiltily enough that stanley was going to pay for the both of them. stan knew and bev knew better than anyone about home. 

stanley playfully rolled his eyes before dramatically sighing. "i guess," he sang softly, feening disappointment. 

'

richie decided that he was going to play a new tactic from now on. the _'ignore it until it wants you'_ tactic. richie wasn't exactly sure how this was going to work with eddie because it seemed he had no problem ignoring everyone around him, but richie liked to think he put a little bit more of an impression on the smaller boy than eddie let on. but, richie knew one thing for sure. 

it works on him. 

two days went by and it was like no one existed. richie didn't exsist and neither did eddie. eddie didn't do anything out of the ordinary of his normal routine and richie didn't do anything to throw off eddie's routine to get his attention.

god, it was fucking miserable. richie was always the first one to race out of the classroom like a stink bomb went off and the whole room smelled of mustard gas. 

it was a suffocating tension that had richie nearly beating his head off the brick wall beside his desk anytime his heart would jump if he thought eddie was glancing his way. his own plan was turning against him as if eddie was the one setting him up. maybe eddie really did like being alone. 

richie was ready to just call it quits on everything and give up trying to be eddie's friend until day number three, when he accidentally dropped a pencil and instead of just giving him a side-eye like he normally would, eddie completely turned his head, and looked right at richie, raising his eyebrow almost if asking, _"what the fuck is going on?"_

richie froze in his seat, hearting thumping against his chest, because _holy fucking shit, he's looking right at me._ eddie eventually turned back around, rearranging his own pencils, turning his attention back to the projector illuminating the whiteboard. 

it threw richie off the rest of the day because what the hell did that mean? ignored for three days and then one noise and it was like he pulled the fire alarm. lunch came and passed, eddie still avoiding the offer which richie had internally revoked at this pointed and algebra had been sent to study hall as the teacher was out sick. 

richie awkwardly walked into the slowly filling cafeteria room, the uninterested study hall teacher telling him to sit wherever as he passed. he sat on one of the benches, unzipping his bookbag, pulling out an aquaman comic book he read a hundred times. he didn't mind it was the only one he had because it was one of his favorites. it would've been better it stanley was there, but he was out sick too. 

just as he was getting invested, he heard the shuffling of somebody sliding in next to him, pressing their small body tightly next to his, arms brushing as they moved around hastily. richie looked over, ready to jump back and make a snarky comment about somebody being so close, until he caught a whiff of the purifying scent of porter's salve and strawberries, heart instantly jumping. 

"eddie? what are you doing here?" he asked, looking down at the bustling boy. eddie looked up briefly, dark eyelashes blinking slowly, brushing against his freckled painted cheeks before looking back down, setting everything he needed in order. richie's breath hitched in his throat and he all but slapped his hand down so he didn't reach out and touch the other boy's face. 

he settled for reaching up and nudging his glasses back up his own face. 

"this, is my normal study hall," eddie replied, looking back up. "so, the actual question is, what are _you_ doing here?" he asked more quietly to not draw attention from the teacher a few tables behind them. eddie watched idly as richie moved his hand back down to the table, fidgeting with the pages of his thinly paged book. 

richie bit his lip, looking away. "so what? you're talking to me now?" he remarked hostilely, but then quickly answered normally. " the teacher wasn't here, so we had a study hall." eddie humphed softly, picking up one of his perfectly placed pencils before opening his folder. 

it was quiet for a while, the only sounds filling their air being the scribbles of eddie's pencil. "i wasn't ignoring you, you know," eddie stated, glancing at richie then looking back down. "if anything, it was like you were ignoring me," _yes._ "no," richie quickly defended. 

eddie finally looked over at him fully and richie's cheeks burned pink from the intrusion, keeping his eyes down at the same comic book page he'd been on for the last fifteen minutes. eddie then motioned to richie's hand before setting his pencil in line, placing the finished paper delicately in his folder. "how's your hand?" 

every time they spoke eddie always asked. 

richie slowly flipped his hand over, looking at the bubbling skin of a forming scar. it didn't hurt anymore but it was still ghastly to look at. "fine," he answered shortly, before closing his fist and pushing up his falling glasses. he glanced over to see eddie fixing his pencils once again, even though two minutes ago, he was rearranging them. 

part of richie knew this might have something to do with eddie being ocd and all, but there was no way that people with this condition did this all the time. it had to be something else. richie found himself saying the words before he could retract them. 

"why do you always fix your pencils?" 

eddie looked over at him, his expression was unreadable, almost expectant and amused. 

"why do you always fix your glasses?" 

richie left out a small breath. _he noticed that?_ richie thought to himself. panic rose through his veins and as if on instinct, his hand rose to push up his gawky frames. "touche," he said softly. eddie looked back down, scribbling another answer on what richie presumed was homework. 

"i know you saw the book," eddie said after a while of silence. richie looked over at him. "what book?" richie genuinely didn't know what he meant at first but it didn't take long to remember what eddie was talking about. eddie gave him a pointed look before absentmindedly tapping his pencil against the table. three times. 

richie watched, then moved his eyes back to eddies' face. eddie seemed perplexed in his thoughts. "the other day. when you came over. i was gone for a long enough time for you to read the title at least," he finished. richie felt like there was no point in denying it anymore, especially when eddie was bringing it up. 

"you don't have to tell me," richie trailed, watching the side of eddies' face closely. the smaller boys' chest rose higher with every breath he took. "i... i don't make a lot of friends. my mom says it makes my condition worse; stresses me out," richie nodded, though he didn't fully understand. shouldn't friends help relieve stress, not cause it?

"i have this... thing about me. no filter some people would call it and it causes a lot of people to stay away from me," he shrugged shortly, looking up at richie. "in hindsight that's probably not a bad thing, but you," he mumbled softly, his face still unreadable. richie felt the air leave his lungs, rendering his whole body quiet so he didn't miss a word eddie said. 

"you," he repeated faintly. "you keep coming back." 

richie blinked slowly to find that eddie had already looked away and was packing up his things, not sparing richie a second glance as he got up from the table, leaving only the faintest smell of strawberries in his path.

richie had no idea what this meant. eddie was so cryptic about everything he talked about, he could have meant it as a polite rejection for richie to fuck off and it was just going straight over his head. he only realized that eddie got up because the bell rang and he was the only one left sitting in the emptied-out cafeteria. 

at the end of the day, richie carelessly swung open his locker, moving out of the way of kids who tried to purposely bump his shoulder on their passing, exchanging his books out for stanleys' so he could take his missed homework to his house after school. when pulling down stanleys' history book, a neatly folded piece of paper floated from off of the top, landing right between richies' feet. 

he slammed his locker shut, confused as he picked up the white notebook paper. when unfolding the note, he noticed the equally sized out six squares, a small smile appearing on his face before reading the paper. 

_' meet me at wembley ballpark at four. i've decided to start stepping out of my comfort zone, starting with you._

_eddie k.'_


End file.
